


hide and seek

by crowaion



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 01:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5608345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowaion/pseuds/crowaion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I wanted to be loved by someone yet all I did was hide away.</p>
<p>But you healed my wounds and blocked the pain, so I fell in love with you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hide and seek

**Author's Note:**

> its been awhile! i know, i gotta update those reader fics. sorry, i had major writer's block. but i'll try to get back to it all now!
> 
> in other news, THAT NEW EVENT AM I RIGHT

_My name is Hibiki Wataru and I want the world to resound with love._  
  
_Yes, that is my dream._  
  
_Ah... Can anyone hear me?_  
  
_Please..._  
  
_Someone..._  
  
**_I'm scared._ **

* * *

 "Ah, Anzu. Thank you for picking up." Hokuto says. It's late at night - 9PM exactly. But he always calls, without fail. "How was your day?"  
  
"Good," Is Anzu's soft reply as she curls up on her bed, squeezing her pillow tight. For a moment, she wore a frown but she forced a smile as she replied, "how was yours?"  
  
"Am― Good. Thank you for working hard again today." A pause. "Ah... It's late. Sorry. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"And call me again at night too?"  
  
"As always. Good night, Anzu."  
  
"Good night."  
  
After a soft beep verifying the call has ended, Anzu tucks her phone under her pillow and sighs, squeezing her eyes shut. Hokuto is a distant person. Although he tries his hardest, he comes off a little cooler and more mature than the rest, so... Well, it's not a shock she figured it out eventually. It took her awhile - it really did sound like Hokuto! - but... Hokuto just wasn't like this. _Maybe_ he would call, yes, but not consistently. And not just to say good night and trade kind words before bed - that was outside of Hokuto's personality.

So it only made sense that she figured the only other possible conclusion after the third call. After all, he'd displayed this very skill to her awhile back, when he thanked her for supporting Hokuto and helping him grow.

"Hahhh... I just don't get you, Hibiki. We both know, don't we? So..." She opens her eyes and gazes up at the ceiling, "Why do you keep pretending, even though we both know?"

He was something more than just an oddball, she thought, as she finally dozed off.

* * *

" **Amazing!** Good morning! It is I, Hibiki Wataru, here to brighten your morning!" A loud voice echoes throughout area by the gates of Yumenosaki, and along with it are groans and sighs of passing students going in for class - as well as Eichi softly telling Wataru to settle down, and that order is instantly obeyed.  
  
Knowing he's there, Anzu gives a sigh of relief and jogs up to Wataru, smiling, "Good morning, Hibiki."  
  
Wataru stops talking to Eichi and looks over at her, grinning widely and vibrantly as always, "Hello, Anzu! What a pleasant surprise, seeing you this morning!"  
  
Anzu laughs, as bright as the sun, and Wataru grins wider. He loves it - the warmth she gives, the love she holds. And if he reaches out, maybe he could grasp it―  
  
"Anzu. Class is starting soon." Hokuto cuts in from a few feet away, looking already exhausted as an energetic Subaru clings to him, chirping out nonsense inbetween "Hokke!"s, though Hokuto doesn't seem to mind - if he did he'd have shoved Subaru away by now. Anzu covers her mouth to hide her amused grin at the sight - Hokuto would scold her if he caught such an expression towards his situation.  
  
"... They certainly are close. I'm glad Hokuto has learned what that warmth feels like."  
  
"Huh?" But when Anzu looks up, Wataru is already walking away.

* * *

It's at the end of the day when Anzu decides to cut this game short. She'd spent all day thinking about it, effectively angering Kunugi everytime she failed to answer a question due to her spacing out in class. And even during practice, she'd been distant, lost in thought, but the members of Trickstar trusted her no matter what, and gave her space, Hokuto leading perfectly as always so they didn't slip up. After having finished their practice, each boy packed up and said their goodbyes, heading off someplace. Subaru and Hokuto left together, Makoto asked Anzu if she wanted to walk home together but was later dragged off by Shinobu and Nazuna to discuss club things, and Mao, of course, rushed off to find Ritsu.  
  
That left Anzu to herself, and to her thoughts once again, long enough for her to decide what she wanted to do about this. Gripping her bag tight, she stands up and leaves the practice room, heading straight for where she thought he'd be at this time and, of course, she's right on the first try. After all, it doesn't take long to find Wataru as long as you know the people he likes most. This time, he's with Eichi in the gardens, talking excitedly about some movie he watched and, despite Eichi's confusion to most of the talk, the Emperor looks happy.  
  
It's good, Anzu thinks, that Wataru has at least one friend he can talk so freely to. It doesn't take a genius to notice Wataru isn't exactly popular with people, nor is he good at socializing. He's skilled, beautiful, but not exactly perfect at talking. It was the one thing he was bad at - he'd said so long ago.

" _While I may be blessed with many talents, unfortunately, I don't know what it's like to communicate between friends._ "

That had always worried her, but seeing him so happy with Eichi all the time made her think nothing of it after awhile. But now she wonders if their bond is more than meets the eye. Like something of mutual feeling, not just friendship, but not quite romance. Like they supported and needed each other. After all, if Eichi wasn't with Keito, he was with Wataru. And Wataru always and naturally made his way to Eichi's side. It made her wonder how they met and how close they were, all their history.  
  
"Hibiki." It's hard to find a spot in the conversation, but she needs to speak to him, so she does her best to find a place to interrupt, smiling sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Tenshouin. I need to..."  
  
"Talk?" Eichi finishes with a smile - that delicate smile he always gives everyone, "Be my guest." He stands up from his seat and it's quick, but Anzu catches the way Wataru's eyes stop glimmering for a moment. When Eichi responds so naturally, she wonders if he knows him so well that he didn't even have to look at Wataru to catch that.  
  
"I'll be back, Wataru. Please tell me more when I return, alright?"  
  
The brightness is back full force, like a sort of relief. "Yes! Of course, Your Majesty!" And with that, Eichi nods and walks away, leaving the two alone.  
  
"... Hibiki."  
  
"Yes!" He responds joyfully, giving her his full attention. "What could the amazing Transfer Student desire from me! I, as a simple fool, am grateful... ☆"  
  
"I want to know why you call me all the time." For once, Wataru doesn't respond and so Anzu takes it as a chance to go further. "I... I know it's not Hidaka. So... um...? I'd just like to know why. It wouldn't be difficult to call me normally, right? What is it you want to―"  
  
"If I called, would you respond?"  
  
"... Huh?" Anzu blinks rapidly three times in surprise, having not expected Wataru to interrupt with something so serious to say, before she tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"  
  
"If I called out, with my real voice, would you resound, with all your love, back?"  
  
Anzu frowns, not quite getting what he means. He's speaking in riddles again, he and Eichi both are difficult that way, with such poetic speech that it'd give anyone a headache. Would she reject his call? Is that what he was asking? Because she wouldn't. There's no reason to. She answers every call she gets and calls back the ones she misses.  
  
Still confused, Anzu looks right at Wataru as she answers, "Of course I would. Why would I not?"  
  
Wataru smiles - and it's not like usual. It confuses Anzu, it's so... sad. Distant. So... _odd_ on Wataru's face.  
  
"... Alright then. See you."  
  
And he's gone, leaving Anzu still wondering what he meant.

* * *

That night, she clutches her phone tight in her hands. It's past the usual time and she wonders if confronting Wataru was a bad idea. Maybe he took it wrong, like she was annoyed or upset? That wasn't the case! Wataru may be difficult at times, but she knew, after getting to know him, that he was simply doing what he _thought_ was right, and he failed to convey that, which led people to believe he was taunting them. She could never be upset with him - not when he tried so hard to make everyone smile. And she had grown used to the calls, expecting them so now... It would be kind of lonely if he didn't call anymore.  
  
A jingle from within her hands causes her to break from her thoughts and gasp, quickly flipping her phone open and pressing the answer button, pressing it to her ear.  
  
"H-Hello!"  
  
"Yes, it is I, Hibiki Wataru, wishing you a good night... ☆"  
  
Hearing his voice, she can't help it. For some reason, she wants to cry. It's _Wataru_ , and not "Hokuto." Feeling so relieved makes her weary, and now her sleepiness does hit her hard. How late was it now...? She glanced at her clock quickly and read the numbers 10:25PM. For a second, she wondered if Wataru had been nervous to call, but she stops worrying about what-if's and instead focuses on the call.  
  
"I'm so glad you called...! And I got to hear _your_ voice..."

The other end of the line is quiet. Had he hung up? Anzu didn't know it, but really Wataru had been shocked by that reply and, unlike himself, was stunned and without words for a moment. But he regains himself beautifully and replies, "... Fufufu. Good night, Anzu. ♪"  
  
She nods to herself, murmuring a good night in return and hanging up, putting her phone away. Full of happiness, she lays down and falls asleep smiling, unaware of just how much all this meant to a certain fool.  
  
"... Thank you, for answering my call."

**Author's Note:**

> i really recommend listening to hide and seek ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ab-6IoUFA ) - it's one of my favourite songs and, with this development for wataru, really brought it back to memory. thank you for reading! i hope you liked this just as much as i love wataru. ♪ amazing! ☆


End file.
